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This year the Zsuzsi Forest Railway, the oldest narrow-gauge railway in Hungary, celebrates its 140th birthday. The past few years have been challenging for Zsuzsi, undergoing a year and a half of renovation and pandemic restrictions, but the railway has overcome these obstacles well, closing 2021 with a full house and record passenger numbers. We spoke to Hajnalka Fogarasi Makóné, Managing Director of the Zsuzsi Forest Railway Nonprofit Ltd.

The 15th European Men’s Handball Championship will be co-organized by Hungary and Slovakia from 13 to 30 January 2022. Both nations will host the best handball players in Europe for the first time, this will be the second time the continent tournament will be held in a shared order. One of the locations of the games in Hungary is the country’s second city Debrecen.

It’s big news for fans of the world-famous English musician, Sting that the 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist will play two concerts in Hungary next year as part of his My Songs tour. He will perform the most popular songs of his career in Budapest on 16th March 2022 and in Debrecen on 17th March 2022. The venue for the Debrecen concert is the recently renovated Főnix Arena.

From January 2022, those interested will be able to visit places at Debrecen International Airport as never before.

Debrecen has exciting exhibitions for art lovers all year round. If you’re looking to relieve stress amidst the end-of-year rush or Christmas shopping frenzy, take advantage of the last few weeks of the year to visit local museums and galleries for a visual experience, as there are many exciting exhibitions in Debrecen until the end of the year. Below you will find a selection of these.

The Bible 21 contemporary art collection and exhibition is the result of a unique venture. Levente Kovács and Tímea Kovács-Szabó have created a thematic private collection, the objective of which is the interpretation of the units of the Gospel through artworks reflecting on the present age and their popularization.

All visitors are cordially welcomed to the English language guide to the Parisian Abstracts. The guide will be given by Flóra Mészáros, the curator of the exhibition entitled “Abstraction-Création”. The exhibition includes works by Kandinsky, Hélion, Calder, Moholy-Nagy. The guide will begin at 11.00 on 28th November on the second floor of the MODEM.

The winter months are the perfect time to indulge in wellness, and especially in Debrecen because the city has great facilities. Many people go to the sauna to ease those aches and pains which are always more noticeable during the cold months. However, the benefits of using a sauna go far beyond just the superficial, sure, it feels great, but using the sauna regularly provides real benefits for one’s health.

Debrecen has much to offer the cyclist, it has an 80+ kilometers bicycle path network, which is constantly being extended. The city is extremely easy to navigate and has very little traffic, and good roads. If you’d like to cycle around, you can easily ride to many places both in and out of the city.

The MODEM Centre for Modern and Contemporary Art celebrates the 70th anniversary of the birth of István Burai, a painter, graphic artist, and sculptor from Debrecen, who died in 2017, with a retrospective exhibition. The commemorative exhibition will open on 13th November and will run until 20th February 2022.

Today, Nagyerdő (Great forest) is a place for quiet reflection and recreation, but until the end of the 18th century, it was wild and rarely visited.  After two destructive fires, the boundaries of the city were extended, plots outside of the city were drawn into the interior and the forest became a popular destination over time.

The National Geographic conducted a representative survey of 18-65-year-olds entitled “Direction of the City!”, to determine the habits of Hungarians’ in relation to visiting cities and, of course, what their favorite Hungarian cities are.

Based on spontaneous responses, a third of the population stated they prefer Budapest the most. After the capital, Eger was the second most popular city, followed by Pécs, Debrecen, and Szeged which were all tied for third place.

The role of the crane in Hungarian culture is a charismatic one, especially with respect to the conservation of nature. This cultural role differentiates these birds from other domestic bird species. Such is their impact, that the Crane has become synonymous with Hortobágy, and is even on the coat of arms of the national park.

September 29th is World Coffee Day! Speaking of which, we have gathered our favorite cafes in Debrecen, where you are always welcomed with fresh black and a good atmosphere.